Saudi judge gives man 20 lashes for accusing new wife of not being a virgin without proof

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A Saudi news website says a judge in the city of Mecca ordered a man to be lashed 20 times for accusing his spouse of not being a virgin when they married.

Al-Sharq Online reported Monday that the Yemeni man was sentenced to be flogged in one session for not providing evidence to back up the accusation.

The website says the Yemeni man allegedly accused his wife in front of her father and other neighborhood elders of lying about her virginity. He says she had been married and divorced before him. As is common in conservative parts of the Arab world, he says the marriage contract stipulated she was a virgin at the time of their wedding.

The website says the wife went to court to prove her honor and reputation.